News
PALMETTO BEACH
For over a decade, the building and the land it sits on served different purposes.
It housed a program for kids through the YMCA. It played host to a work program for the Community Development Corp.
But now, the land will give Palmetto Beach its first community garden.
The Palmetto Beach Community Association has owned the land since 1998. The building itself is off-limits for now, but the garden in the back yard officially opened Saturday. Residents came together and built two raised flower beds and planted seeds. Now, they'll wait — and hope — to see something grow.
"We really want to do things that people can see some results fairly quick," said association vice president Cary Hopkins Eyles. "Frankly, we're still figuring out how, if something grows, what we're going to do with that."
Eyles, who admits she doesn't have much of a green thumb, says the garden is still in the beginning stages.
"I'm not expecting it to be hugely prolific," she said. "A lot of that is still a work in progress."
The garden is spawned from City Council member Mary Mulhern's initiative to create more community gardens in Tampa. Seminole Heights residents started a community garden in June.
Mulhern said having these community gardens will reduce crime, build a sense of community and create healthier food options for the neighborhood.
"There's more eyes on the neighborhood," she said. "And it also fits in with the whole idea of sustainable communities, growing your own food, organic food and reducing your carbon footprint."
Palmetto Beach's community garden is free, in contrast to Seminole's, which has a membership fee of $35 a year, or $20 a year if the person wants to share their plot.
Amy Mariani can be reached at (813) 226-3374 or amariani@sptimes.com.
Loading...
